Tottenham were in talks to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona on loan although the player has now rejected the idea of moving to the North London club.
Tottenham’s transfer window has been a rather quiet place to be. Spurs were hoping to bolster their squad with some late deals, but now they face disappointment in what could have been an incredible deal. According to the Evening Standard, Philippe Coutinho has rejected Tottenham’s offer to take him on loan, leaving Barcelona in a problematic situation regarding his future.
As of yesterday, Tottenham had entered into talks with Barcelona to take Coutinho on loan for the upcoming season. This move came into motion after Barcelona sanctioned a loan move to the Premier League. Arsenal were the first club to offer terms to the Catalans to take the Brazilian, but Tottenham came in from behind to take the march on any possible deal.
Things were looking bright for Spurs, as many quarters expected them to make the sensational signing of the Brazilian. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been looking for a creative forward to bolster his attack all summer long. Without making any concrete movements inwards, Spurs fans were resigned to ending their window with Tanguy Ndombele as their only significant signing.
However, Coutinho has now rejected the idea of moving to Tottenham as he might be considering staying put at Barcelona for the foreseeable future. The Brazilian who joined the Camp Nou outfit in a big-money move from Liverpool 18 months ago, has thoroughly disappointed. So far he has played 76 times for Barcelona and has been at the receiving end of harsh criticism from experts and fans.
Barcelona, with their pursuit of Neymar, wanted to sell Coutinho this summer to raise funds. However, without a viable buyer so far, the club were open to sending him out on loan and cut their wage bill significantly to make room for Neymar. Additionally, Barcelona were also looking save the €20 million they would have to pay in variables to Liverpool if Coutinho makes 100 appearances.
The situation is grim with the Brazilian’s future as well as that of Neymar hanging in the air. Its unclear if Barcelona could go ahead and still sign Neymar. However, that would put plenty of pressure on their wage bill, considering how much the PSG forward would demand. What does this mean for Neymar’s future as Real Madrid are reportedly talks with PSG to sign the Brazilian?
As for Spurs, they do not have much time left in the window as deadline day looms. They are still hopeful of making a few deals happen. Meanwhile, Spurs have not given up on signing Giovani Lo Celso as they are preparing to bring in a player of the Argentine’s profile before tomorrow’s deadline.
